Thomas: Welsh can pull it out of bag

JONATHAN Thomas admits Wales have endured an “incredibly frustrating” Six Nations campaign ahead of tomorrow’s salvage mission against Ireland in Dublin.

If Wales wreck Irish Triple Crown ambitions at Croke Park, they will have a fighting chance of finishing second in this season’s tournament. Lose to the reigning Six Nations champions though, and Wales will find themselves in the wooden spoon mix next weekend when annual strugglers Italy visit Cardiff.

“International rugby is about winning,” said Ospreys flanker Thomas, who wins his 54th cap in a Wales back-row shorn of injured skipper Ryan Jones. “We know we are under-achieving. We are better than the table shows, and we should have beaten France and England. It is up to us to sort it out. It is easier to take when you lose to a side that is better than you.